Sunshine Coast Council sends Sports Equipment to Papua New Guinea

SECOND LIFE: Children in the PNG village of Alotau enjoy playground equipment donated by Sunshine Coast Regional Council.

COAST children aren't the only ones enjoying outdoor fun at playgrounds provided by the regional council.

Youngsters in Papua New Guinea also are getting in on the fun.

In the past few years, council has repaired and refurbished equipment replaced at local public playgrounds and sent it to the Coast's sister city of Alotau.

Community programs portfolio councillor Jenny McKay said council also had provided installation instructions, some spare parts and a safety management system to help maintain the playgrounds.

And photographs recently received by council staff showed the children of Alotau, on the northern shore of Milne Bay, were enjoying their equipment.

"We had reports of children walking considerable distances from nearby towns and villages to try out the new playground, so it's fantastic that they're enjoying it," Cr McKay said.

"Just like with our local playgrounds, safety was a top priority for council, so it was important that we provided all the information to ensure equipment was installed correctly.

"I really commend the staff in council's parks and gardens department who went above and beyond to make this happen for children in Alotau who otherwise wouldn't have had access to playground equipment like this.

"With the help of an aid group, Sunshine Coast Rotary Club and the Alotau Chamber of Commerce, council was able to ship this equipment to PNG free of charge."

Cr McKay said council had sent playground equipment to Vietnam previously and would welcome any future requests to help underprivileged children in underdeveloped countries.

The Gympie Times